Shell repriming tool



Sept. 14, 1965 W. R. PARKE SHELL REPRIMING TO0L 3 Sheets-Sheet l M 7m Y Filed Nov. 19, 1965 Fig./

Filed Nov. 19 1963 Sept. 14, 1965 w. R. PARKE 3,2

SHELL REPRIMING TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q: 60 26%- 60 Q 26 24 Q: x w: I a

William R. Parke INVENTOR.

'Sept. 14, 1965 Filed Nov. 19 1963 W. R. PARKE SHELL REPRIMING TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 William H Par/re I N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,205,762 SHELL REPRHMING TOOL William R. Parke, 842 Crestfield Drive, Duarte, Calif. Filed Nov. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 324,775 Claims. (Cl. 8d--36) This invention comprises a novel and useful shell repriming tool and more particularly pertains to an apparatus specifically effective in the inserting of new primer units in the base of a rifle or pistol shell.

There is a growing trend among sportsmen and others using firearms to reload used rifle and pistol cartridge shells by replacing the change of powder and shot and providing a new primer unit in the base of the shell. The advantages of using reloaded shells is not only one of economy in that the major cost of a pistol or n'fie shell is the shell case but also the even more important advantage of obtaining a shell having a powder charge and a shot charge which may be adjusted in accordance with the users desires, thus obtaining predetermined and/or more uniform firing characteristics for the shell.

Heretofore a major problem in the reloading of used shells has been the difiiculty of precisely seating the new primer unit in the primer pocket in the base of the fired shell. Obviously, if too much pressure is applied the primer unit will be forced into the shell primer pocket and damaged. On the other hand, if the primer is not properly seated in the pocket to the required position therein, the firing characteristics of the shell will be affected and a lack of uniformity in the expected operation of the shell will result.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a shell repriming tool which will largely overcome the foregoing difiiculties by ensuring a precise and accurate placement of the primer unit in the primer pocket of the shell base without danger of damaging it by excessive pressure and further without danger of the primer being insufiiciently seated in the primer pocket.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

. FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a typical type of shell repriming tool to which the principles of this invention have been applied, parts of the tool being broken away and with the tool being shown in readiness to initiate the primer unit reseating operation;

FIGURE 2 is a view in vertical central section taken fully seated in-the primer pocket of the base of the shell;

FIGURE.4 is a view in horizontal section taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the lower end of a shell, a new primer unit, and the various components of the repriming tool.

Referring first to FIGURE 1 it will be observed that the numeral designates generally any suitable form of shell repriming tool to which the principles of this invention have been applied. As illustrated, the repriming tool consists of a vertically extending support or standard 12 rising from a suitable base 14 and upon which standard is mounted a vertically adjustable sleeve 16 adjustably Bidiiflh Patented Sept. 14, 1965 secured in position as by a set-screw 18 and which sleeve carries a bracket 20. The outer end of this bracket constitutes a shell holder of a construction shown more particularly in FIGURES 2 and 3 and in which is de tachably supported the lower end of a discharged pistol or cartridge shell 22 which is to be reprimed by the tool. The base 14 has an upstanding tubular boss 24 through which extends a vertically reciprocable stem 26 of a repriming device to be later described. A manually operating handle 28 is mounted in the base 14 and operates upon the stem 26 in a manner which forms no part of the present invention in order to selectively elevate or lower this stem to perform the repriming operation. Inasmuch as the details of structure of the tool other than the repriming device itself and the shell holder associated therewith form no part of the present invention but may be of any conventional design, a further description thereof is deemed to be unnecessary.

Referring now especially to FIGURE 2 it will be seen that the shell holder 24 has an upwardly opening bore 30 extending from its bottom end vertically and into a diametrically enlarged bore 32 having an inwardly projecting lip 34. The bore 32 opens to the top surface of the holder as shown in these figures.

The lower portion of a conventional shell 22, as shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 5, is provided with an annular groove 36 about its circumference which is adapted to be engaged by the lip 34 when the base of the shell is slid horizontally into an opening, not shown, in one side of the holder and into the enlarged bore or chamber 32. The base of the shell further has centrally disposed upwardly opening recess or chamber 38 therein comprising the pocket adapted to receive the primer unit ill. has much as the primer units and the shell structure including the pocket for receiving the primer units are of conventional design, and since this structure forms no part of the invention set forth and claimed hereinafter, a further description thereof is deemed to be unnecessary.

It will be observed from FIGURE 1 that the stem 26 of the repriming device is axially alined with and vertically centered below the center of the bore 30 and of the bore enlargement 32 and therefore of the primer pocket 38 disposed thereabove. An important feature of this invention resides in the forming of the bore 30 of a considerably greater diameter than that of the primer pocket 33, this relationship being clearly shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3.

The repriming device consists of the previously mentioned stem 26, see FIGURE 5, whose lower end is threaded as at 42 for engagement in an actuating element, not shown, operably connected to the manually operated handle 28. The arrangement is such that as the handle 28 is moved downwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 44 of FIGURE 1, the stem 26 will be raised from its rest position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 towards its repriming position shown in FIGURE 3.

Rigidly carried by the upper end of the stem 26, as for example by being formed integrally therewith, is a generally cylindrical primer plug 46. The latter has a cylindrical exterior surface 4-8 which is slidably received loosely in the bore 369, with the diameter of the plug 46 being considerably greater than that of the pocket 38 so as to preclude the passage of the plug into the primer pocket. The exterior cylindrical surface of the plug is provided with longitudinally extending slots or channels 50 therein four being a convenient number although the invention is not limited to any particular number of such channels. A sleeve indicated generally by the numeral 52 is movably mounted upon the stem 26 consisting of a drumlike or cylindrical body 54 centrally apertured as at 56 for sliding reception upon the stem 26. Rising from the drum 54 are a plurality of fingers 58 each of arcuate cross section and each of which is slidably received and guided in one of the channels or grooves 50 of the plug 46. It will be noted that the exterior surface of the fingers 58 forms a smooth continuation of the cylindrical surface of the body 54 and thus also of the surface 48 of the plug 46. A compression spring 60 is provided which encircles the stem 26 and its opposite ends abut against the boss 24 and the lower end of the sleeve body portion 54 to yieldingly urge the sleeve upwardly upon the stem so as to at all times maintain the fingers in contact with the base of the shell in spaced relation to the primer pocket 38 therein. This association of the fingers of the sleeve with the shell will be clearly apparent from a consideration of FIGURES 2 and 3 in the two opposite extremes of the movement of the repriming device.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the operation of the device will now be readily understood. When a shell is to be reprimed, the shell with the spent primer removed therefrom is placed in the chamber or bore enlargement 32 of the shell holder 20 as by being slid into a lateral opening in the holder. With the shell positioned in the chamber of the holder, and the repriming device eing shown in its retracted position of FIGURE 1, a new primer unit it is placed within the fingers of the sleeve 52 and rests upon the head of the plug 46. The handle 28 is now manipulated by being moved downwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 44 of FIGURE 1. As the handle moves downwardly, the associated mechanism causes the stem 26 to rise upwardly, and the finger extremities which project above the upper end of the plug 46 and of the primer unit 40 placed thereon enter the bore 30 until they engage the base of the shell, At this time, the pressure of the spring 60 urging the sleeve upwardly causes the fingers to press the shell upwardly so that the shell is firmly seated through this spring pressure by its groove 36 against the rib 34 in a fixed position. This is the position shown in FIGURE 2. Upon further upward movement of the stem under the operation of the handle 28, the plug 46 and its stem 26 now slide upwardly with the stationary body 54 and fingers 58 and will now force the primer unit 40 upwardly through the fingers 58 into the primer pocket 38 as shown in FIGURE 3. This upward movement of the primer unit continues until the top surface of the plug 46 engages against the base of the shell. Inasmuch as the plug 46 is of greater diameter than that of the pocket 38, it cannot enter the latter but will be positively stopped by its engagement with the base of the shell. The fingers of the sleeve provide a centering action of the plug 46 relative to the bore 30 and also the primer pocket 38 of the shell so that the upward travel of the plug 46 during its operation of forcing the primer unit into the primer pocket is positively stopped by engagement of the surface of the plug 46 with the base of the shell. Inasmuch as the shell is held in a fixed position by means of the rib 34 through the operation of the spring 60 and the fingers 58 of the sleeve 52, there is a fixed reference position of the shell itself so that on each operation the primer unit is positively seated to the same precise depth or distance in the pocket. There is thus provided uniformity of the placement of the primer unit without danger of damaging the latter inasmuch as the primer unit inserting means cannot penetrate into the pocket of the shell.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed,

What is claimed as new is as follows:

I. A shell repriming tool comprising a shell holder having a seat for receiving and holding the base of a shell to be reprimed, said holder having an opening extending from one end thereof into said seat, a stem relatively movable into and through said opening and toward and from said seat and the primer pocket of a shell base received on said seat, means effecting relative movement of said stem and seat toward and from each other, a plug on said stem having a top surface of greater diameter than that of a shell primer pocket and positionable during said relative movement for abutting engagement with the base of a shell when the latter is received on said seat whereby to limit the depth of insertion into a shell primer pocket by relative movement of said plug into said opening of a primer plug positioned upon said plug top surface, a sleeve slidably mounted on said stem and including a plurality of longitudinally projecting fingers slidably engaging said plug, said plug having longitudinal channels slidably receiving said fingers, the exterior surface of said plug and sleeve defining a cylindrical surface of uniform diameter and less than that of said opening, means urging the ends of said fingers into abutting engagement with a shell base and retaining the latter against said seat during insertion of a primer carried loosely within said fingers and by said plug top surface into the primer pocket of a shell base by said relative movement of said stem and seat.

2. Ashell repriming tool comprising a shell holder having a seat for receiving and holding the base of a shell to be reprirned, said holder having an opening extending from one end thereof into said seat, a stern relatively movable into and through said opening and toward and from said seat and the primer pocket of a shell base received on said seat, means effecting relative movement of said stem and seat toward and from each other, a plug on said stem having a top surface of greater diameter than that of a shell primer pocket and positionable during said relative movement for abutting engagement with the base of a shell when the latter is received on said seat whereby to limit the depth of insertion into a shell primer pocket by relative movement of said plug into said opening of a primer plug positioned upon said plug top surface, said plug having in its exterior surface a plurality of passageways extending longitudinally the entire length thereof, a plurality of fingers each disposed in one of said passageways and projecting axially beyond said plug top surface, said plug and fingers having their exposed exterior side surfaces all lying upon the exterior surface of a cylinder of uniform diameter, said fingers being longitudinally slidable in said passageways, means resiliently urging said fingers axially outwardly beyond said plug top surface whereby upon relative movement of said plug toward said seat said fingers will engage a shell base and yieldingly retain it upon said seat and confine and position a primer upon said top surface as said plug inserts a primer into the primer pocket of a shell base until further insertion is limited by abutting engagement of said plug top surface with a shell base.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said fingers have inner ends projecting axially inwardly of said plug, means to which said inner ends are fixedly connected and slidably received upon said stem, said resilient means comprising a spring surrounding said stem and abutting said last-mentioned means,

4. A shell repriming tool comprising a support base, a shell holder supported by said support base and having a seat for receiving and holding a shell base which is to be reprimed, a stem supported by said support base, and being relatively movable toward and from said seat and the primer pocket of a shell base received on said seat, means operatively connected to said seat and stem for effecting relative movement thereof, a plug on said stem having a surface engageable with and of greater diameter than that of the primer pocket of a shell base, a sleeve movable with and relative to said plug and including a sleeve base slidably mounted on said stem, a spring engaging said sleeve base and yieldingly retaining the latter in contact with said plug, said sleeve further including circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending fingers carried by said sleeve base and projecting longitudinally beyond and slidably embracing said plug, the outer ends of said fingers being adapted to engage a shell base and resiliently retain the latter on said seat and confine a primer in axial alignment with the primer pocket of a shell base upon relative movement of said plug toward a shell base and to limit further movement of said sleeve toward said seat as movement of said plunger forcibly inserts a primer in a shell base primer pocket until further insertion is prevented by abutment of said plug surface with a shell 10 base, said fingers and plug having all of their exterior side surfaces lying upon the surface of a cylinder of uniform diameter.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said plug has longitudinally extending channels along the entire length of its side surface, each finger being guidely and slidably received in one of said channels.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 14,435 11/73 Bronson 8637 2,847,895 8/58 Huntington et al. 86-36 2,865,244 12/58 Doyle 8636 3,110,214 11/63 Benda et al 86-36 3,138,055 6/64 Weston 8636 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SHELL REPRIMING TOOL COMPRISING A SHELL HOLDER HAVING A SEAT FOR RECEIVING AND HOLDING THE BASE OF A SHELL TO BE REPRIMED, SAID HOLDER HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING FROM ONE END THEREOF INTO SAID SEAT, A STEM RELATIVELY MOVABLE INTO AND THROUGH SAID OPENING AND TOWARD AND FROM SAID SEAT AND THE PRIMER POCKET OF A SHELL BASE RECEIVED ON SAID SEAT, MEANS EFFECTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID STEM AND SEAT TOWARD AND FROM EACH OTHER, A PLUG ON SAID STEM HAVING A TOP SURFACE OF GREATER DIAMETER THAN THAT OF A SHELL PRIMER POCKET AND POSITIONABLE DURING SAID RELATIVE MOVEMENT FOR ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BASE OF A SHELL WHEN THE LATTER RECEIVED ON SAID SEAT WHEREBY TO LIMIT THE DEPTH OF INSERTION INTO A SHELL PRIMER POCKET BY RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUG INTO SAID OPENING OF A PRIMER PLUG POSITIONED UPON SAID PLUG TOP SURFACE, A SLEEVE SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID STEM AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY PROJECTING FINGERS SLIDABLY ENGAGING SAID PLUG, SAID PLUG HAVING LONGITUDINAL CHANNELS SLIDABLY RECEIVING SAID FINGERS, THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF 